Two important items are going before City Council On Tuesday, Oct. 5. 2021.

 1) Streamlining Rental Around Local Shopping Areas – Amendments to the C-2, C-2B, C-2C and C-2C1 Zones and Creation of New Rental Zones for Use in Future Rezoning Applications in Surrounding Low Density Areas Under the Secured Rental Policy, and 2) Climate Emergency Parking Program

Streamlining Rental Plan

Upper Kitsilano and other neighbourhoods will see the beginning of widespread changes as the City moves one step closer to approving its Streamlining Rental Plan (SRP). This coming Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021. City Council will vote on a referral report (meeting begins at 9:30 am) that includes amendments to allow for up to six-storey mixed-use developments on commercial streets, and four to five storeys on eligible side streets. If the report is accepted by Council, a public hearing will follow in late October or November.

Check our website for updates.

While the Upper Kitsilano Residents Association acknowledges change is needed to meet Vancouver’s growing population, we are concerned the City is aiming to densify great swaths of Vancouver using the controversial and largely untested provincial Residential Rental Tenure Act (2018), with no thought given to character preservation, affordability, or to existing tenants living in secondary suites. We doubt the supposition in the staff report that states: “Compared to other zones, rental development in C-2 and low density areas has much less potential to cause displacement of existing renters.” The City does not have a secondary suite registry, and therefore no information to support this claim. Most homes in our neighbourhood have renters in principal residences, secondary suites and/or laneway houses.

The City is suggesting the zoning changes will be less painful because they will be allowed only on commercial arterials and “nearby streets”; however, as we have seen time and again, once one property is rezoned, others will follow. The City’s own report says,“In the future, use of residential rental tenure zoning could be expanded to encourage the development of more rental housing.”

Meaning higher-priced new rentals and cookie-cutter land assembly housing.

The City is also proposing some “affordable” market rentals and six-storey 100% social housing. Keep in mind the City’s bizarre definition of social housing: up to 70% market rental and only 30% below market rental. And only 10-15% of the below market will be for those who need the most help.

According to the report, RT-zoned areas such as West Kits were removed from the SRP because of its high proportion of heritage and character homes. City Planner Graham Anderson confirmed that character houses in Upper Kitsilano that do not have heritage protection will not be exempted from the SRP. That means almost all pre-1940 houses near arterials will be up for grabs along with every other house on affected streets. The present zoning will stay the same until a homeowner or developer applies for a permit to re-build a site. If approved, the property then becomes rental permanently.

The report says there is broad support for the SRP, based on extensive public and stakeholder consultation. But neighbourhoods were not individually consulted, nor were they included in the planning process. And biased surveys don’t give citizens enough information to make informed decisions. Five minute public workshops allow residents to ask only two or three questions without knowing if their concerns will be passed on or simply ignored. Judging by the revelation that City staff do follow-up surveys when the original surveys do not produce the results they desire (See the CityHallWatch story below), it’s hard to trust any of the SRP report’s claims.

If you oppose these plans, it is crucial to let Council know before Oct. 5. This item is not open to speakers, but you can email Council with your concerns.

Climate Emergency Parking Plan

Read the staff report here. 

When the City’s Talk Vancouver survey on the Climate Emergency Parking Plan showed overwhelming public opposition to mandatory parking permits on all Vancouver Streets, City staff hired a market research company to conduct two additional surveys until they got the response they wanted. This from the report itself.

Over 19,000 people took part in the initial Talk Vancouver survey, one of the highest response rates to a City survey. The results showed that the vast majority of participants are against both the overnight residential parking permit (80%) and annual pollution charge (72%). Staff, however, decided there was an overrepresentation from one demographic: homeowners living in ground-oriented, single family dwellings who use their motor vehicle as their primary mode of transportation.

Sentis Market Research was then commissioned for a second, and then third, survey. In the first go round, the market survey heard from 500 people; in the second, fewer than 400 were surveyed. Support for the parking plan in the third survey effectively doubled (from 16% to 31%) and support for the pollution charge more than doubled (from 25% to 55%).

Read the whole story on CityHallWatch: “The Climate Emergency Parking Plan Survey is in and Guess What?”

City Councillors will vote on the Climate Emergency Parking Plan on Tuesday, Oct. 5. It is the fifth item on the agenda.